Dear friends,
As we head into the second half of our 10th Anniversary Season, I’m delighted to say our audiences are growing! Our fall concerts – Serenade to Music in October, Duruflé’s Requiem in November and Bach’s Magnificat in December – each saw a substantial increase in audience numbers. We hope to continue this trend as we head into an exciting spring season!
We kick off the new year with another collaboration with the New Mexico Philharmonic. On January 18th Coro Lux will sing Mozart’s Requiem during the Phil’s presentation of Mozart and Salieri. (For more information and tickets, go to www.nmphil.org)
In February 8th we’ll once again co-sponsor our annual FebFest with the United Church of Santa Fe. Don’t miss the chance to work with our headliner, Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, as well as special guests Cecilia Webb of KUNM radio and Amy Owens of the Santa Fe Opera.
Also in February we’ll make our second appearance at the African American Performing Arts Center. On the 16th we’ll collaborate with our own El Faro Youth Chorus, as well as the UNM Gospel Choir to present Sign Me Up! – An afternoon of African American Spirituals and Gospel Music, sponsored in part by Ken Carson, owner of Nexus Brewing and Restaurant.
Our dedication to new music continues. In addition to commissioning and premiering two new pieces in the fall (This Breath, This Life, This Song by the London-based composer Will Todd, and Luminous Night by Z. Randall Stroope), we’ll give the New Mexican premiere of a new dramatic cantata called A PLACE CALLED HOME by the poet Charles Anthony “Tony” Silvestri, and myself. That concert is co-sponsored by the United Church of Santa Fe, and the New Mexico State Arts Council.
Our 10th anniversary year ends with a gala fundraiser at the gorgeous Animante de Rondeña on May 3rd, and a free concert by the El Faro Youth Chorus.
Indeed, there’s so much to sing about! I hope to see you at our concerts, and the entire Coro Lux family of choruses thanks you for your support.
Warmly,
Brad
Bradley Ellingboe
Founder and Artistic Director
Coro Lux — an auditioned chorus — has a generous scholarship program meant to help ALL who need financial help to participate, particularly those who are in the midst of, or who have recently finished, their schooling.
For information about joining our chorus or contributing to our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, please email info@abqcorolux.org.
New Mexico Philharmonic and Luminare, 12/21/24, Bradley Ellingboe, conductor. (Video credit: Peter Hyde. Used by permission)
CHORAL EXCHANGE RAISES $1,800 FOR ABQ HEALTHCARE FOR THE HOMELESS
A Saturday workshop and informal concert on September 28, 2024, among Coro Lux, Albuquerque’s Quintessence, led by Matthew Greer, and Kantorei from Minnesota, led by Adam Reinwald, raised $1,800 for Healthcare for the Homeless. The event began at noon with the three choruses singing for each other, then rehearsing 3 massed choir pieces. Their work culminated in a free concert at 3 pm. The proverbial hat was passed, resulting in a substantial donation to a worthy cause. Special thanks to Quintessence, Kantorei, and all who attended the program! [Photo Credit: Sue Spaven]
EL FARO YOUTH CHORUS RECEIVES TWO GRANTS!
El Faro, the first-ever trauma informed youth chorus in the country, has been awarded a $45,000 Music Education Partnership Grant from Chorus America to support a new collaboration with Albuquerque schools! With its dedication to both choral musicianship and trauma informed principles, El Faro Youth Chorus will welcome more youth ages 7-18 into its inviting space for music-making and voice building.
El Faro also received a $5,400 grant from the New Mexico Music Guild to similarly support these outreach efforts. These grants will help fund a two-year effort for Coro Lux and El Faro to make an impact in youth music education in our city. Congratulations to Dr. Gabrielle Dietrich and the singers of El Faro!
A PARTIAL LISTING OF OUR 2024-2025 SEASON
January 18 – Mozart & Salieri – (Mozart’s Requiem) with the New Mexico Philharmonic. (See the NM Philharmonic’s website for tickets to this concert https://nmphil.org/event/mozart-salieri-january-18-2025/)
February 8 – FebFest with Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, composer and conductor. Co-sponsored by the United Church of Santa Fe. Saturday 4 pm concert, the United Church of Santa Fe
February 16 – Spirituals and Gospel Songs – our 2nd annual celebration of Black History Month, 3 pm at the African American Performing Arts Center, sponsored by Nexus Brewery and Restaurants.
April 12 – Ellingboe’s A Place Called Home – New Mexico premiere, 2:30 pm panel discussion, 4 pm concert at the Lensic Theater, Santa Fe (Coro Lux and the Sanctuary Choir of the United Church of Santa Fe)
May 3 – 10th anniversary Gala and Fundraiser – Animante de Rondeña, 6 pm
May 10 – El Faro Spring Concert 2 pm, Fusion Forum, downtown ABQ
Click the link below to watch KOB’s “Heart of New Mexico” feature on the El Faro Youth Chorus.
Special thanks to Ryan Laughlin and Willow Locke for their beautiful work on this piece.
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/heart-of-new-mexico-trauma-informed-chorus-director-helps-youth-with-music/
Click the link below to watch the world premiere of “Ring Out, Wild Bells” by Taylor Scott Davis, performed during the Coro Lux Seasons of Love concert on December 15, 2022
Ring Out, Wild Bells
LAND USE STATEMENT
With profound respect, Coro Lux acknowledges that the city of Albuquerque where we sing is the traditional homeland of the Tiwa-speaking pueblos, and that the larger state of New Mexico is the ancestral homelands of the indigenous members of the Pueblos, Apache, and Navajo (Dine), and is the adopted homeland of many other indigenous tribal members who have made New Mexico their home. Coro Lux sings for a better world, and we honor the land on which we sing and those who lived here before us.
CORO LUX STATEMENT ON INCLUSIVITY
Coro Lux is built on the ideal of “doing good as we do well.” We believe that in diversity there is strength. We believe the voices of the world should be heard, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation. In the past we have used our concerts to call for peace and to benefit charitable causes, and we will redouble our efforts going forward. Through our art we sing for a better world.
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